Strength in Bonds
by Anomynous Nin
Summary: The two swords are believed to be gone from the world. But humanity is threatened once again by the Order of Souls organization. Siegfried must travel the world to stop them, with the help of Cassandra and all those he must form a bond with. SiegxCass


Hello, people! Let me introduce myself. The name is Anomynous Nin! And I present to you my first Soul Calibur fanfic! Yes siree, the one that will knock your socks off! ... Eh, not really. It'll be an average fanfic, so don't expect anything amazing out of it.

I decided to write a Soul Calibur fanfic because, well, I kinda feel like it. Soul Calibur is one of my favorite game series of all time. It started out with Soul Calibur II, which has Link in it, and since then, I played all the recent Soul Calibur games, one after the other. So you can tell where I got my love for Soul Calibur from.

But enough of my life story. Let's talk about the fanfic itself. This story takes place during the final showdown between Siegfried and Nightmare, on top of the Tower of Remembrance, with a certain character being caught into it. Then, some unexpected events happened and Soul Calibur and Soul Edge are gone, disappeared from the world forever... But not for long. A group of new villains appeared with a way to resurrect Soul Edge in its original form, and Siegfried must stop them from restoring it. And along the way, he must learn to have faith in the bonds he shared with the people he met, especially with that special person who guided him into that path.

Now, not sure if there's any romance in it, but if you wanna ask, I'll tell you this. The pairing is pretty obvious, if you look at the character slots. There will be more pairings, although I'm not sure which one.

Alright! Enough with the introductions! It's time to go through the prologue of the story! Hope you enjoy it!

"Speaking"

_'Thoughts'_

_Flashbacks_

**"Nightmare/Living weapons speaking"**

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Especially not the swords themselves.

**Prologue:**

**Decisive Battle: The End of Light and Darkness**

How long has it been since she was climbing up the stairs like that? It felt like days, maybe even weeks. And it felt so long since she had to engage a heart-breaking fight against the one she cared about, who has fallen victim to the cursed sword. After that, she found herself climbing up the stairs as fast as possible, trying to reach what she thought to be the final destination.

Cassandra Alexandra was the younger sister of the Alexandra. She was on a quest to find the Holy Stone that she heard of from the people of a certain town and that sly man from before. It was believed that the Holy Stone has the power to cure people from their insanity, destroying the source of darkness that Soul Edge had implanted into them. And learning of the information about a man in a mass armor of crystal wielding the stone, she sought him out. She did not realize that the Holy Stone that she was after was the Holy Sword itself, Soul Calibur.

During her journey, she fought many people, people who sought the evil sword. She defeated every last one of them, and with each battle, she was led to a large tower that appeared so suddenly. And that was where she fought against her own sister, Sophitia, who had became Soul Edge's servant. She had won the battle, but not before she felt deep sadness for her own sister, regretting not being able to save her from Soul Edge's clutches.

And now, she was climbing up on the stairs to put an end to everything. Her main priority as of now is to destroy Soul Edge, so that Sophitia would never suffer again. And the only way she could do so was to acquire the Holy Stone, which she believed was at the top of the tower.

With her Digamma Sword in her right hand, and her Nemea Shield on her left arm, she was prepared to face her final challenge, the one to end it all. "Sophitia," she spoke. "After this is over, you won't suffer anymore. And we'll go home together in peace."

After she climbed up the stairs for such a long time, she finally spotted something up there. That was it. She could see the clouded sky from up there. It was the way out of the stairways and into the top of the tower. With determination in her eyes, she ran up as fast as she could to face the challenge as soon as possible.

As she get out into the top, a sudden burst of energy occurred, and she was almost knocked over by it. She shielded herself with her shield and right arm from the energy burst that was flying in her way, and when it stopped, she slowly descended her arms. Once she got a clear view of the center of the top, her eyes widened in shock.

There stood to knights, facing each other with swords that looked like the opposite of each other. She realized what they were. "Soul Edge... And Soul Calibur!"

The man with the Holy Sword in his hand was a young knight with long blond hair that stopped perhaps to the middle of his back, and a pair of blue eyes. He had a scar over his right eye and right across his right cheek. He donned white armors encased in crystal that glittered like light. And on the back of his armor existed two blue short capes that flew into the wind. Cassandra realized that it was the man in a mass armor of crystal, just as the townspeople described him. And she also realized that the sword that he was wielding was the Holy Stone, which was actually Soul Calibur itself.

On the opposite side, there stood a dark creature who didn't look like that he was from this world. He was wearing azure armors, from head to toe, with the helmet having a long, fiery red horn. Only his eyes were visible, and they were crimson red. There were a few aspects about him that proved that he was inhuman. Monstrous teeth formed his stomach, with dark energy floating in the center. His right arm was that of a monster, as well as his legs. She did not doubt that he was Nightmare, the hellish azure knight. The sword that he was wielding was the cursed sword itself, Soul Edge. The sword that corrupted Cassandra's sister, the one that corrupted her soul.

After a while of standing there, staring at each other, the crystal armored knight made his first move, charging at the azure knight while preparing for a quick slash with Soul Calibur. Nightmare also made his move, as he charged right after Siegfried, preparing the same attack as he did. The two swords clashed against each other, sending another burst of energy around the air, like a powerful gust of wind.

The two knights pulled their sword off of each other. The holy knight made his next move, as he swung his blade horizontally at the hellish knight. Nightmare quickly blocked his attack and pushed the sword off, followed by a diagonal upward slash. The holy knight jumped back from the attack, and as he landed only a few feet away from Nightmare, he quickly charged at him and jumped off from the ground, attempting to strike him with a powerful vertical slash.

Nightmare dodged the attack by jumping back, making the holy knight slamming his sword against the ground. Nightmare charged at him in a similar fashion, but this time, he attempted to skewer him during his charge attack. The holy knight quickly parried his attack with his sword, stepping to the side as Nightmare ended up skewering the empty air. The holy knight attempted to slash him downwards again, but the azure knight quickly blocked it and pushed him off. He then charged at the off-balanced knight, making a few slashes towards him.

The holy knight regained his balance before the azure knight could make his move, and he jumped back from each of his slash attacks. But as he continued to jump back each and everytime, he then found himself standing on the edge of the top, unable to jump back once more. Nightmare, as soon as he found the perfect opportunity to strike, pulled his sword back and attempted to skewer him dead on. However, the holy knight was quick, as he delivered a swift and direct kick to his head, making the azure knight to stumble back a few feet.

Having found a good opening, he charged at the stumbled knight and delivered a swift horizontal slash to the right. However, Nightmare recovered from the previous attacked and grabbed hold of the attacking sword with his demonic arm. He then threw the holy knight to the side, in which the knight himself rolled over the ground and quickly stood on his knee. Nightmare attempted to slash him downward, but the holy knight stood up on his feet and responded the attack with his own horizontal slash, making the two swords clash once more, sending yet another burst of energy around them.

The two knights struggled against each other with their swords, glaring at each other's eyes filled with the fires of war. **"Siegfried..."** the hellish knight spoke. **"How long are you going to keep this up? We are evenly matched, you and I! There is no way for you to push yourself any further!"**

"I will not lose to you!" said the holy knight, who is called by the name of Siegfried. "I already came this far. I fought my way through countless places just to find you and put an end to you, my unforgivable past! This is the only way for me to redeem myself from the sins that I have committed as you!"

**"Redeem yourself?" **Nightmare started to cackle. **"Hah hah hah! You are a fool, Siegfried! You can never defeat me, your dark past! Your destiny has already been decided! Your sins are too great to be forgiven! You have no right to live! It is a sin for you to be alive!"**

"... That may be true." Siegfried replied. "I realized that I can never be forgiven for the sins that I have caused. But even so, I still want to redeem myself to the world. Starting by putting an end to you and to Soul Edge!"

**"You fool! Even if you DO put an end to me, it does not change the fact that you were me! Your redemption is all for nothing! Being alive is still a sin for you, the one who started this calamity in the first place!"**

"... You are right. I do not deserve to live. My sins are too great. And people like me do not deserve to live after committing such sins."

**"Hah hah hah!" **Nightmare cackled once more, having known that Siegfried has already lost. **"Then stop resisting and face your judgment! This is the only way to liberate yourself from your sins! Be slaughtered by the hands of Nightmare!"**

"... No."

**"Hm?"**

"I will not fall. I cannot let myself to fall. If I give up now, this world will continue to suffer. And everyone will lose everything. That is why I stand here in front of you, with the desire to destroy you and Soul Edge once and for all!" With that, the two knights jumped off from each other, landing back on the ground in their own stances. "Soul Calibur... The holy sword of absolution, of forgiveness... Please... Lend me your strength!" Soul Calibur started to glow brightly, as a white aura surrounded Siegfried, as if he was given a power boost from the sword itself.

Seeing that Siegfried wasn't going to give up that easily, Nightmare growled, having enough of his resistance. **"It is pointless! If you're not going to give up your life, then I will take it away from you myself! By destroying you and Soul Calibur, the nightmare will never end!" **he shouted, as he is soon engulfed by fiery red aura, as Soul Edge started to glow bright red. **"Souls... Give me strength!"**

The auras surrounded the two knights were beginning to grow larger and larger, large enough to clash against each other in a battle of which will be the strongest one. Cassandra just stood there by the doorway of the stairs, watching the battle in awe. So that was the true strength of the two swords. She couldn't imagine anyone wielding their great power. But all that matters now was that she hoped that the holy knight will win against Nightmare, to put an end to their suffering. "Don't lose..."

Both Siegfried and Nightmare roared, as the power was building up within them. As the two of them reached the peak of their power, the auras surrounded them vanished like a gust of wind, and the two of them charged at each other, delivering a final strike. The two knights struck at the same time, and as they performed a quick slash, they found themselves standing at the opposite side, their backs facing each other.

Suspense filled the air, as the two knights stood there for a few seconds. Cassandra didn't know who won, and it was making her heart beat strong and fast. Was it Siegfried? Or Nightmare.

Finally, Nightmare suddenly shook in his azure armors. He felt his strength leaving him all of a sudden. It was as if he had lost. Nightmare turned his head back to Siegfried, with much struggle. **"Y... You...!"**

"... With this, it ends." Siegfried spoke. As soon as he said that, Nightmare lost his entire strength, and he fell to the ground hard, letting Soul Edge sliding off from his hold.

So that was it. Siegfried was the victor. Nightmare is finally defeated. Cassandra was glad that Siegfried had won. With that, the azure knight's terror has come to an end. "Oh, thank the Gods..."

Siegfried turned around to face his fallen adversary, staring at him down. "... Our kind should not exist in this world. Not ever again." he said. He then walked towards Soul Edge, still wielding Soul Calibur in his hand.

Soul Edge... The sword that he thought would bring him power, the power to defeat anyone standing his way. He had thought that by having Soul Edge in his possession, he would be unstoppable. However, he did not predict that Soul Edge would take over him, using him as a host. And with that, he had committed several sins upon the world, as the azure knight Nightmare. He regretted having committed such sins that could never be forgiven, and even so, he sought to redeem himself, knowing fully well that it wouldn't be enough to be forgiven from his sins. There was only one way for him to redeem himself. He could not turn away now.

As his final act, he moved Soul Calibur over to Soul Edge, the tip over its eyes. He moved Soul Calibur up as high as he could, then he quickly descended it down to the ground, stabbing Soul Edge's eye in the process. The cursed sword soon darkened, with no signs of life within it. Soul Edge has finally been vanquished.

Siegfried back away from Soul Calibur until he was at a few feet away. The sword soon glowed bright as light. Cassandra could only watch, wondering what was going to happen next. **"Siegfried Schtauffen..." **A female voice suddenly spoke. It surprised Cassandra, as she wondered where the female voice came from. She soon realized that it came from Soul Calibur itself, representing its life. **"The young knight who seeks redemption for his sins... Thank you. I can no longer feel the evil presence of this world. Because of you, I can finally proceed to what I am originally created to do."**

"... Good to know." Siegfried said. "Soul Calibur... Are you going to bring peace back to this world? Where no one should suffer anymore?"

**"Yes. It is in my power that I will purify this world from the corruption of darkness. I will bring an end to the pain and suffering of the world, and I will make sure that it will stay that way until the end of time."**

"... I see."

**"You do not need to ask me, Siegfried. I can already tell within your soul. You desire is to surrender your own life."**

Cassandra gasped. Was she hearing it right? Did Soul Calibur said that Siegfried wanted to give up his own life? But it couldn't be. He defeated Nightmare, and put an end to Soul Edge's reign of terror. He couldn't possibly want to pass on, right?

Much to her surprise and shock, Siegfried nodded in response. "Yes. This is what I want."

**"Are you sure, Siegfried? You are still a young man, whose future awaits him within the dawn of the purified world. You will be the first to see the creation of the utopia of peace. Are you still sure that you want to end it here?"**

"I have no regrets." Siegfried replied. "I committed too many sins in the past. I killed my own father and tried to deny the fact my father's killer was me. My lust for power led me to Soul Edge, the weapon that I believed that will grant me more power. However, I realized my faults and couldn't stop myself from committing the many sins that I cannot even tell what they are. Even when I put an end to Soul Edge, my sins can never be forgiven... Unless I surrender my own life."

**"... I can feel your pure honesty in your words. It seems that it is too late for you to turn away now." **Soul Calibur said. **"It is a shame. I had thought that you would stand by me to see the new world. But since you highly desire your own death, then I will not stand in your way. I will grant you that wish, if you so desire."**

"Will you also eliminate those with connections of Soul Edge?"

**"Of course. As I said before, I will make sure that this world will achieve eternal peace."**

"If that's the case, then so be it."

**"Very well, then." **Soul Calibur spoke. **"With the evil presence that brought dark influence upon this world completely vanished, I will now proceed to fulfill my duty. The new world will now be born." **As soon as it said that, the ground below of it started to turn into crystal ice, before it spread itself across the entire floor. White fog started to form below of Soul Edge and the lifeless body of Nightmare, and as it moved up, the two of them became crystal.

Siegfried closed his eyes, as his long awaited journey has come to an end. He had no regrets. He made the right decision. He had hoped that in this new world, there will be no more bloodshed battles, battles that brought sadness, pain, suffering and tragedy to all. With that in mind, he could finally rest in peace.

Eternal peace into the world. That was what Cassandra had wanted. But she had hoped that the knight wouldn't sacrifice his life like that. She did not know of his past, but she wanted to help him. But it was already decided by the knight himself, and she couldn't stop him. All she could do was leaving him at peace. And all she knew was that it was all over. She was about to turn back to the stair way to return to her sister, when...

_'H-huh? What the...!' _Suddenly, she couldn't seem to move her feet. No matter how much she struggled to move them, it was no use. Why couldn't she move her feet? She was going to look down to see what was wrong, but suddenly, fear started to take over her. It was as if her subconsciousness was telling her not to look down. What was happening to her feet, and why she couldn't move them?

Her ears started to pick up some sounds. The sounds of ice crackling below of her. And each time she heard them, the fear within her grew larger. With enough will power, she slowly looked down on the ground to see what was going on. Then, she widened her eyes, as she screamed out in terror.

Siegfried heard the scream, as he opened his eyes. He turned his head to see Cassandra, finally noticing that she was standing there all along. And to his shock, he saw something happening to the girl's body.

White fog had formed around her knees. And below that fog, her legs were crystallized. "Aahh! W-w-what's happening to me!" Cassandra yelled out in terror, watching below as each inch of her legs was slowly turning into crystal.

_'What? She's being crystallized?' _Siegfried thought. _'Is she a servant of Soul Edge? No, it couldn't be. She looks too pure to be a slave to that sword. So why is she being crystallized?' _He had no idea why the crystallization process is occurring on the young female warrior herself, who looked nothing like Soul Edge's pawn. He could have sworn that he and all those connected with Soul Edge would be the ones who become crystallized. So why?

Then, he realized that there was only one suspect that could have done such a thing. He turned his head back towards Soul Calibur, which is still glowing bright as light. "Soul Calibur! What is the meaning of this!" he exclaimed.

**"What is it? Are you not aware that I am changing this world for the better, Siegfried?"**

"Why is this girl being crystallized! She does not look like one of the people who is connected to Soul Edge!"

**"Of course she is not." **Soul Calibur replied. **"But all the same, she is of the human race."**

"Human race? What are you talking about!"

**"... Are you saying you do not know who caused the pain of suffering in this world? I cannot believe that you did not realize this so soon."** What was Soul Calibur talking about? What was it about the human race? Just what was it that it was trying to say? **"Siegfried... Do you know the reason why this world suffered so much? It is simple. Because it was already corrupted by the sins within certain beings. Even before Soul Edge came to be, the world was already corrupted, by people's lust, greed, envy and pride for power. It was because of those sins that the world cannot stop itself from suffering so much."**

"Wait... Are you trying to say that...?"

**"Yes. The one who truly brought madness to this world... is humanity itself. And it is my duty to bring an end to humanity, to ensure that the world will be at eternal peace, a peace where no living human being will be alive to wreck havoc into the world. That is why I was created. I am still shocked to know that you did not know the true guilty ones, Siegfried."**

Cassandra couldn't believe her ears. So Soul Calibur truly sought the extinction of humanity? That was the Light of humanity that everyone spoke off? Soul Calibur was a complete opposite. It was the sword of light, but it sought the destruction of humanity, in order to create a new world. It was never pure at all. With each passing second, the crystallization process reached half of its completion, the lower half of her body becoming crystal. "Soul Calibur... I thought you would bring peace to all humanity...!"

"No... No, this isn't right! This isn't what I want!" Siegfried exclaimed. "I didn't want the extinction of humanity! All I want is to redeem myself and to eliminate the evil of this world! Not to eliminate all of humanity!"

**"It is a shame that you had thought that, while using me to try and achieve that goal. Sadly for you, Siegfried, that is not why I am created. If you could see through my true ambitions, you would have understand me long before you destroy Soul Edge. You are truly a fool, Siegfried."**

There was no time. Siegfried looked back at the young female warrior, who was frozen on the spot, being crystallized up to the middle of her stomach. She looked at Soul Calibur with terror and disbelief in her eyes. If Siegfried didn't do something now, humanity will be eliminated, and this world will become a lifeless utopia of ice. He looked back at the sword, attempting to stop it himself, the one who started that calamity. "Soul Calibur!" he yelled, as he was about to charge at the sword to stop it.

However, he found himself unable to move his feet. With quick realization, he looked down to himself and saw that white fog was already formed around his legs, his feet already crystallized. "N... No!"

**"You misunderstood me from the very start, Siegfried. And in the end, it was because of your misunderstanding that the new world is created. I will not blame you, of course. I still thank you for eliminating the evil presence of this world. Now, the new world will be created, and all humanity will be extinguished."**

He couldn't do anything to stop Soul Calibur, when his feet was frozen solid against the icy ground. Even if he could try to extend his arms towards it, it wouldn't do him any good. He looked back at Cassandra, whose body was already crystallized at her chest, still traumatized by the true nature of Soul Calibur. A new feeling of remorse is made within his soul, the regret of having brought the extinction of humanity. It was far greater than the sins he committed as Nightmare. And he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't stop it. It was all his fault.

"I... failed..." he said, coming to a realization. "Everyone... Please... forgive me..."

"... It seems the dark soul within Soul Calibur has finally been unleashed." Suddenly both Siegfried and Cassandra heard a voice of a man. Turning his head to the other side, he saw someone standing next to him, as Cassandra look at the same direction as he was.

There stood a man with white and somewhat straight-up hair, with a pair of white, pale eyes, as well as a scar over his left eye. He wore a very ancient armor not recognizable to the eye, but it did resembles somewhat of a bird. He looked at Soul Calibur, as it continued its process of crystallizing the world and all of humanity with it.

"Who... Who are you?" Siegfried asked the unknown man.

"I... am Algol, the Hero King. Also known as the creator of Soul Calibur." said the man named Algol, which made both Siegfried and Cassandra to widen their eyes. "I have created Soul Calibur for the sole purpose that it could withstand against Soul Edge and put an end to its terror. It was supposed to be the sword of light, the light which will bring peace to humanity and eliminate the darkness of the world. However, I made a single mistake in creating the sword."

"A mistake...?" Cassandra asked.

Algol slowly walked towards the sword. "Each time, I created numerous of swords equivalent to Soul Calibur. However, all of them proved to be useless against Soul Edge. In order to create a perfect sword, I used my own life to forge Soul Calibur, in order to perfect it. However, I soon learned that my thirst for power created a dark soul within Soul Calibur, which I believed would be dormant for all those centuries to come. But when Soul Calibur and Soul Edge clashed once more, the dark soul was unleashed, and took over the sword that you see right now."

The Hero King then stood in front of the sword, being as close as possible. "It is all my fault. I was the one who can control the power of Soul Edge, and upon my son's death by the clutches of that sword, I desired to create Soul Calibur, not knowing the consequences within that very sword. However, it is not too late to change that now." Algol grabbed hold of the hilt of Soul Calibur and pulled it off from the ground. However, the crystallization did not stop, even with Soul Calibur being pulled from the ground. He then grabbed the crystallized Soul Edge in his other hand, picking it up from the ground. He then turned around to face the two warriors.

"Young knight who seeks redemption for his sins... Young female warrior who desired peace for the world, along with your family... I shall grant you one more chance to realize your goal. However, my powers are not enough to completely vanquish the two swords. I have only one way to undo all of this, in exchange for the total control over thw swords."

"What... are you trying to do?" Siegfried asked.

"I cannot explain to you now. If the others know of that, I'm afraid that the same events will be retold. But I have one thing to say to you two." Algol said, as he pointed Soul Calibur at the two warriors. "... Master your strength. Use them well. And once that time comes, prevent the retelling of the events. You two... I chose you as the Chosens of Light." Soul Calibur then started to grow brightly, the light becoming strong enough to envelop the entire area, and soon, the entire world. The two warriors were blinded by the light, unable to see the man again.

_'Arcturus...' _Algol thought, as he looked up to the sky overshadowed by the light. _'I will join you soon... My son...'_ With that final thought, the Hero King eventually disappeared within the light.

* * *

Time has passed, the light was no longer presence in the world anymore. The Tower of Remembrance regained its original state from its crystallized state. Two bodies were found at the top of the tower.

Siegfried was found laying on the ground on his back, having lost consciousness for quite some time. Lying above next to him was Cassandra, who was lying on the side with the same unconscious state as he was. It was unsure how much time has passed since that very moment.

Suddenly, someone suddenly appeared next to them, in a quick blur. It was a female ninja with long, black hair tied into a ponytail, as well as a pair of black eyes. She was wearing purple spandex suit, with armors for her shoulders, forearms and legs. She had two shorts swords sheathed on her back.

She looked down at the two unconscious warriors. She had just arrived here after a bright light blinded her when she was on her way up to the tower. Siegfried didn't look like he was holding Soul Calibur anymore, and there was no sign of Nightmare or Soul Edge itself.

Much to her relief, the battle was over. And humanity was safe from the wrath of Soul Edge and the peace of Soul Calibur. "Soul Calibur and Soul Edge... They are both gone." she said, as she looked up to the sky.

It was as thought peace was regained in this world. But to the female ninja, the problem was still there.

"... But the battle is far from over, I'm afraid."

**End of prologue**

Well, here it is! The prologue of my first Soul Calibur fanfic! Hope you guys like it. And I must let you know, I tried to balance things up a little and keep the characters in character. I played a lot of Soul Calibur games, but I still have problems trying to associate the characters and the story well. So if there's any problem with it, I apologize. It's still my first Soul Calibur fanfic.

And I know some of you guys thought that Siegfried was doing that to bring an end to humanity in the game. That is still debatable. We're still not sure whether or not he wants to sacrifice all humanity or just want to sacrifice himself and all those connected to Soul Edge. And in this story, I chose the latter one. Just trying to make sure that it is clear for you guys.

Well, I had nothing but this to say to you guys. I hope you enjoyed the prologue and are psyched to know what's going to happen next. I sill try my best to update the story as soon as possible. But I have other stories that I need to take care of too, so... Please be patient!

Well, see ya, everyone! And review, please! It will help me become motivated to write the next chapter!


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